Study links childhood play to adult health

Children who indulge in plenty of creative and active play are more likely to enjoy good health in adulthood, new research suggests.

A study by scientists at the University of Ulster looked at 505 young adults, all of whom were asked about their experiences of play during childhood.

The researchers found that people who had engaged in plenty of creative play were more likely to have a healthy diet and take regular exercise during adulthood, while active play was associated with better health and exercise levels.

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However, young people who had been given little time to play in childhood were more likely to be overweight and have an unhealthy lifestyle.

The findings were presented on April 14th at the annual conference of the British Psychological Society and suggest that childhood play patterns may have a significant effect on people's future health.

Professor Tony Cassidy, who was involved in the research, said: 'Having the freedom and opportunity to play is important for all aspects of child development and is a right that is often overlooked.

'For all sorts of reasons our society has restricted child play. To remove restrictions and reverse a potentially damaging trend requires a change in attitudes across adult society.'

Figures from the NHS Information Centre show that just 32 per cent of boys and 24 per cent of girls met the recommended levels of physical activity in 2008.

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